The First Hour: Celeste

A portmanteau of “masochist” and “hardcore,” the so-called “masocore” genre includes modern platforming classics like I Wanna Be The Guy and Super Meat Boy. But these videogames have traditionally focused on mechanics and have had little, if any, in the way of plot. New Nintendo Switch release Celeste by Matt Makes Games seeks to disrupt this trend with a masocore platformer that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the classics but also has simple-but-solid story about a young woman trying to conquer her mental illness by compulsively climbing a mountain. But it turns out the mountain is home to ancient ruins that contains far worse dangers than cold and heights. You can watch Andrew (@playcritically) fumble his way through the first hour in the embedded video below.